A student led and funded grant dedicated to creating systemic change

About

Fix It With Five began with the idea that college students could take five dollars that is often spent on something less meaningful, such as pizza, a movie, or ice cream, and spend it on something that will make a difference. It became clear that if we incorporated the entire student body we could produce a large sum of money very quickly. The realization that something tremendous can be done with this small-scale donation by each student led us to establish this grant program.

Another important development was the idea that the Fix It With Five grant should be given to an organization looking to get to the root of a problem by enacting sustainable change. It started in that direction when we realized there were many organizations with wonderful ideas who simply needed a little bit of funding to carry out their tasks. We discovered that our passion was for groups who could “fix” a problem. While we realize that most of the issues we hope to tackle may never really be solved, it is this idealism that motivates us.

After putting these two ideas together, a small group of students at Saint Michael’s College approached the student government to enact the grant. Several presentations were given and the grant of $10,000 was approved for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Since 2010, Fix It With Five has awarded two local nonprofits the $10,000 grant. In 2010 Spectrum received the grant and then in 2011 COTS won. Saint Michael’s College is continuing to further its connection with both organizations.

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Fix It With Five organization to promote systemic change through its annual donation to a local, national, or international community based organization with the goal of permanent sustainable change. Following the Saint Michael's College mission of social justice this student led and student funded organization will provide education and awareness to the college and surrounding community. In partnership with the chosen organization, the Fix It With Five committee will aim to alleviate a condition leading to the degradation of human dignity.